Railway safety device



A. H. SIMMS.

'RAILWAY SAFETY DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 1918.

1,336,986. Patented Apr- 13, 1920.

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RAILWAY SAFETY DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 191B.

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A H. SIMMSi RAILWAY SAFETY DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 1918.

1933mm rammed-Apr. 13,1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3- dim Q AMOS HOFFMAN SIlVIlVIS,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAILW'AY SAFETY DEVICE.

Application filed April 29. 1918.

To all [P700771 2'! may concern 3e it known that I, Amos HOFFMAN Sin is, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Safety Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to safety devices for railway systems and has for its principal object the provision of means capable of use either with or without the customary signaling systems for automatically stopping trains.

A further object of my invention is the provisioin of means adapted to be supported above the track and capable of cooperating with devices on an engine to automatically control the brakes and throttle to stop the train under certain predetermined conditions.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of means of a simple and relatively inexpensive character which will operate effectively regardless of weather conditions, to perform its desired function, and which is of sufliciently sturdy construction to insure its continued operativeness over a relatively long period without attention.

Further objects and advantages of my invention reside in the various combinations hereinafter described and claimed as will be better understood by reference to the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating the preferred embodiment thereof, in which- Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a track system with various embodiments of my invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through a portion of an engine cab illustrating the appli cation of my invention and the mode of cooperation with its actuating means;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail in section of the actuating means;

Fig. & is a side elevation of a portion of the engine cab with the mechanism supported thereon;

Fig. 5 is a detail in section illustrating the actuating means for the mechanism carried by the engine; and

Fig. 6 is a plan View of the throttle and the controlling mechanism.

Numerous mechanisms have been heretofore devised for use in connection with rail- Specifieation of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1920. Serial No. 231,292.

way systems to control the operation of trains thereon in which the actuating mechanism is disposed adjacent the track. Experience has demonstrated that such apparatus invariably fails during the winter months when snow and ice seriousl interfere and sometimes entirely prevent the functioning of the apparatus. My invention is devised to entirely eliminate the actuating mechanism disposed adjacent the track and to thus overcome a serious defect in means so far suggested for accomplishing a useful and extremely desirable object.

Referring to Fig. l of the drawing 5, 6, T, and 8 indicate the tracks of a system of which the tracks 5 and 8 may be considered as one way or single tracks, tracks 6 and 7 as two way or double tracks. The track 8 has aspur or siding 8. All first class railway systems are provided with signaling devices usually of the semaphore type. A sig nal bridge 9 of usual construction spans the double track 6 and 7 and a semaphore pole 10 also of usual construction is arranged at the side of track 5. As no semaphore signal is usually located in the approach to a spur, I have provided a stop support 11 adjacent the track 8 preferably constructed, as inclicated in the drawing, of wrought iron pipe of relatively small diameter joined by suitable connectors to provide a firm and rigid support for the mechanism. Obviously, the formand character of the support for the mechanism may be widely varied. The forms herein described being merely such as are readily adapted to the purpose.

I will first explain my invention as applied to a semaphore pole 10 carrying a semaphore 12 which is controlled by wellknown electrical mechanism which need not be herein described, and which actuates the semaphore to indicate to the engine man the condition of the road over which he is about to travel. In carrying out the present embodiment of my invention, I mount a collar 13, (Fig. 5) on the pole 10 at a suitable height above the ground and pivotally support a pair of arms Ll on the opposite sides ofthe pole 10. The arms 1d are connected at one end by a bar 15 and are provided at their other ends with hangers 16 supporting a cam track 17. The pivots 18 of the arms 14 are provided with suitable bearings and one pivot 18 carries a gear 19 meshing with a pinion 20 on the shaft of the motor 21 which is actuated by the electrical current which controls and actuates the signaling system. When the motor 21 is energized the arms 14 are swung from the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 to that shown in full lines in which position the cam track 17 is disposed in the path of the mechanism the electrical system will result in movement of the arms by gravity to the position indicated in full lines in Fig. Suitable stops 14 are provided to limit the swinging movement of the arms 14.

An arm 22 (Fig. 4) is pivotally mounted at 23 on the side of the engine cab 24 and is provided at its free end with a roller 25 adapted to coiiperate with the cam track 17. The arm 22 is normally held in the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4 by a spring 26 connected thereto and to the side of the cab. A link 27 depending from the arm 22 is connected to a lever 28 on a rock shaft 29 carrying a lever 30 extending from the rock shaft 29 in a direction opposite to the lever 28. A link 31 depends from the lever 30 and is provided with a slot 32 which embraces a pin 33 on the arm 34 of the three way valve 35 similar to the three way valve 36 within the engine cab by means of which the engineer controls the air brakes. The pipes 37, 38, and 39 leading from the three way valve 36 are con nected by pipes 40, 41, and 42 to the three way valve 35, and the latter pipes are preferably provided with shut off valves 43 for a purpose hereinafter described.

As will be readily understood when the cam track 17 is moved to its operative position under the actuation of the motor 21 it will be in the path of the roller 25 on the arm 22 carried by the engine, and upon engagement of the roller 25 with the cam track 17, the arm 22 will be swung upwardly causing the lever 30 on the rock shaft 29 to swing downwardly carrying with it the link 31. The pin 33 on the arm 34 is normally disposed at the upper end of the slot 32, the three way valve 35 being closed. When the link 31 is moved downwardly the arm 34 is swung downwardly to open the three way valve 35 which releases the air and sets the brakes. As soon as the roller 25 passes the cam track 17 the spring 26 returns the arm 22 to its normal position. The link 31 is thus raised while the pinion 33 travels in the slot 32. The brakes, therefore, remain set until the train has come to a full stop and the engineer is required to descend from the cab and manually reset the arm 34 to close the three way valve 35.

Where two engines are employed to haul the train, it is desirable that the mechanism above described in the second engine should be rendered inoperative temporarily. By inserting the valves 43 in the pipes 40, 41, 42, the three-way valve 35 may be disconnected from the train system. These valves are placed in a box 35 having a door 36 which is locked by a hasp 37 and a seal 39. The conductor of the train seals the box 35 so that the engineer cannot tamper with the valve 43. The valves 43 may be cut off also to permit switching en route.

I preferably provide a register 44 of any usual construction which is mounted on the outside of the cab as indicated in Fig. 4 and connected by a link 45 to the arm 22. It is the duty of the engineer to stop the train whenever the visible signals are set against him and before the automatic mechanism herein described becomes operative. The register 44 by indicating each actuation of the arm 22 checks the work of the engineer so that his efficiency may be readily determined.

It is desirable to close the throttle automatically at the same time the brakes are applied and for this purpose I provide the following mechanism: The throttle 46 is provided with a pair of outstanding arms 47, (Fig. 6) and a quadrant 48 is pivoted to one of the arms, said quadrant having gear teeth adapted to mesh with the pinion 49 on a shaft of the motor 50. The motor 50 is connected by suitable conductors 50' (Fig. 2) to the arm 22 to a ground. The cam track 17 is supplied with electrical current from the signaling system and upon engagement of the roller 25 with the cam track, the motor 50 is energized and the pinion 49 causes the throttle 46 to swing to closed position. As the throttle must be normally manually actuated, I connect the quadrant 48 through an escapement link 51 to a locking member 52 pivoted at 53 on the throttle and adapted to be moved into the path of the lug 54 on the quadrant. The locking member 52 is connected by a link 55 to a thumb lever 56 adjacent the handle 57 of the throttle and which is normally held in the position indicated by a spring 58. A spring 59 connecting one of the arms 47 to the quadrant 48 normally holds the latter in position to engage the teeth thereon with the pinion 49. When the engine man grips the thumb lever 56 the locking member 52 is swung away from the lug 54 and the quadrant 48 is simultaneously withdrawn until the teeth thereon disengage the pinion 49, when the throttle may be moved to any desired position.

The application of my invention to the bridge 9 involves no variation in principle. The semaphore pole 10 is mounted on the bridge and carries a semaphore 12 adapted to'be actuated as above described. The arms 14 are pivotally mounted on the pole l0 and may be actuated by a motor as hereinbefore described or by means of a chain 60 disposed about suitable sprockets on the pivots of the semaphore 4 and of the arms 14.

The arms 14 being disposed above the bridge, in the embodiment herein shown, it is necessary to provide elongated links 61 depending through suitable guides 62 and connected at their lower ends to the cam track 17.

The arms 14 on the support 11 are similar in every respect to those described in connection with the semaphore l0 and may be actuated through a suitable motor as hereinbefore described to move into and out of operative position. Supports 11 are located at a suflicient distance from both ends of the siding or spur 8 to permit a train to come to a full stop before it runs into the siding or spur. When the spur switch is open the arms 14 drop to operative position and any train passing the device will be stopped.

From the foregoing it will be readily understood that I have perfected an apparatus which is relatively simple in construction and which is so disposed that it cannot be either affected by weather conditions or tampered with by curious individuals and which will, therefore, continue in effective operation with relatively slight attention for any indefinite period.

Various changes may be made in the form, arrangement, and construction of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its material advantages, the forms hereinbefore described being merely the preferred embodiments thereof.

I claim:

1. In a railway safety device, the combination of means elevated above and entirely clear of the road bed and adapted to be selectively positioned in operative and 1noperative positions, an auxiliary three way valve mounted on a train, a cam track carried by said means and operating means on said train connected to said three way valve to open the latter when said operating means engages said cam track.

2. In a railway safety device, the combination of means elevated above and entirely clear of the road bed and adapted to be selectively positioned in operative and inoperative positions, a throttle on an engine, electrically actuated means for closing said throttle and means on the engine adapted to engage said first mentioned means to close a circuit to said electrically actuated means.

3. In a railway safety device, the combination of means elevated above and entirely clear of the road bed and adapted to be selectively positioned in operative and inoperative positions, a throttle on an engine, electrically actuated means for closing said throttle, means on the engine adapted to engage said means to close a circuit to said electrically actuated means, and means permitting release of said throttle from said electrically actuated means to permit manual actuation of said throttle.

4. In a railway safety device, the combination of an air line, a three way valve in the air line controlling the brakes of a train, an auxiliary three way valve connected to the air line, and means elevated above and entirely clear of the road bed for automatically actuating said auxiliary three way valve to set the brakes.

5. In a railway safety device, the combination of an air line, a three way valve in the air line controlling the brakes of a train, an auxiliary three way valve connected to the air line, means for cutting off said auxiliary three way valve, means for sealing the cut off means, and means for automatically actuating said auxiliary three way valve to set the brakes.

6. In a railway safety device, the combination of an air line, a three way valve in the air line controlling the brakes of a train, an auxiliary three way valve connected to the air line, and means for automatically actuating said auxiliary three way valve including a pivoted arm having a lost motion connection therewith, and a cam track elevated above and entirely clear of the road bed adapted to be moved into the path of said arm.

7. In a railway safety device, a locomotive having a throttle thereon, a toothed quadrant on said throttle, electrical means operatively connected to said quadrant to cause said throttle to move to closed position when said electrical means is engaged, and means for manually releasing said quadrant from said electrical means.

8. In a railway safety device, a locomotive having a throttle thereon, a toothed quadrant pivotally connected to said throttle, a motor having a pinion engaging said quadrant, means for locking said quadrant in engagement with said pinion, and means for manually releasing said quadrant from said pinion.

9. In a railway safety device, a locomotive having a throttle thereon, a toothed quadrant on said throttle, a motor having a pinion connected to said quadrant, means for closing a circuit to energize said motor, and means connected to the circuit closing means for simultaneously operating the brake mechanism of the locomotive to set the brakes.

10. In a railway safety device, a locomotive carrying a three way valve for controlling the air brakes, an auxiliary three Way valve connected thereto and arranged out of reach of the engine man While the 1000- motive is running, an arm pivoted on the locomotive and connected to the auxiliary three Way valve, and a cam track adapted to be positioned in the path of said arm, said cam track being elevated above and entirely clear of the road bed.

11. In a railway safety device, a locomotive carrying a three Way valve for controlling the air brakes, an auxiliary three Way valve connected thereto and arranged out of reach of the engine man While the locomotive is running, an arm pivoted on the locomotive and connected to the auxiliary three Way valve, and a cam track adapted to be positioned in the path of said arm, said cam track being elevated above and entirely clear of the road bed, and means controlled by contact of said arm and cam track to close the throttle of the locomotive.

AMOS HOFFMAN SIMMS. Witnesses:

ERNEST H. MERCHANT, M. A. KIDDIE. 

